How to reign in life

Believers, God isn't on a sin hunt to punish you for your sins. He wants to save you; He wants to bless you with "abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness" so that you will "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Quotes from Romans 5:17. 

He does it all; nothing to do with our efforts.

You can't reign in life when you are sick, lacking in provision or when sin has you on lockdown. Sin has a person on lockdown/one is a slave to sin when one is always examining his life for sins in a bid to maintain right standing with God and avoid the punishment that comes with breaking the law; those living this way often fear that bad things will happen to them because of what they did or didn't do. This is a life of constantly looking over one's shoulder - break one law and unless you do something to make things right, the devil just might get you! There is no "free indeed" here.

Many of us try to add our efforts at law-keeping to the 100% righteousness (God's standard) that Christ died to give to us- freely. But there is no room for 100.00001% or 100.99.9% righteousness in God's Kingdom. That extra percentage righteousness that is borne of human efforts at law-keeping constitutes "filthy rags" according to Isaiah. If your own right-standing with God has a tiny bit to do with your prowess at keeping the law, Christ is no longer of effect to you, according to Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

This means that when those who try to keep the law in order to get right with God sin, asking for forgiveness in Jesus' name is pointless because their "justification by the law" stance has made them to be "cut off from Christ." There is no forgiveness under the law without the shedding of blood, which Christ did one time for all. No wonder many believers still suffer symptoms of the curse! You can't have one leg on Mt. Sinai and the other on Mt. Zion.You can't be saved by grace through faith and still believe that it is your efforts at keeping the Ten Commandments that keeps you saved. This neither hot nor cold; neither under Law nor under Grace. 

"The law is not of faith" (Galatians 3:12) so keeping the law in order to attain righteousness is being FAITHLESS and "without faith, it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Law-keeping can never make anyone righteous in God's sight Romans 3:20 says "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

The law demands perfect obedience from those who try to keep it; a perfect obedience that is a prerequisite for the enjoyment of the blessings that come with it and deliverance from its curse; a perfection that no man can attain by works! A perfection that all who receive God's gift of righteousness through Christ have!

What will-power, determination and self-discipline cannot do, Christ has done for us. It is a finished work. We are not under law but under grace. We have God's righteousness as a gift. We are saved by grace through faith, and not by works.

But does this mean that it's okay to continue in sin? Certainly not! I'll ask those who are fighting to be under the law and preaching it as the way to salvation a few questions: 

Have you considered Galatians 5:4- "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."?

In all your years of law-keeping, have you been able to attain righteousness according to God's standard, knowing that breaking one law means that you are guilty of all according to James 2:10 and subject to all the curses of Deuteronomy 28 according to Deuteronomy 28:15? 

Can you honestly say that right now, you would be able to "cast the first stone" if you were transported to the point where the Pharisees were about to stone the woman caught in adultery and our Lord gave her the gift of no condemnation? 

Have you loved your neighbour's children the same way you love yours ("love thy neighbour as thyself" is the second greatest commandment under the law) much less loved God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength, with no room for anyone else?

There is no Way here! You might as well try to fill a really holey basket with water bearing in mind that those who do this have been cut off from Christ according to Galatians 5:4! Also bear in mind Romans 3:20- "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

In Christ, we don't give to get; we get to give. Our salvation isn't about behaviour modification. It isn't about supressing the urge to sin, sowing seeds and believing that this is what makes us okay with God or gets Him to bless us. You don't need Christ if this is what you believe.

In Christ, our salvation is being raised from the dead to life as a New Creation. The Holy Spirit transforms us to the image of the Lord's glory. We live right not by trying hard with our efforts so that we can please God but because "God works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure" according to Philippians 2:13. 

The Lord leads us on the path of righteousness. No human can know or walk this path with their own knowledge and effort much less lead another on it. Those whom the Lord has put on this path (Highway of Holiness,) even though they are fools, they will not go astray! Isaiah 35:8.

"A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray."

Verse 9 tells us that it is the ransomed of the Lord that are on this road. A kidnapped child can't contribute to, much less pay his own ransom. His parent(s) do it all and do it urgently and even happily if they're very rich and what the kidnappers are asking for is small change to them! Believers in Christ, how much more our Father in heaven! He ransomed us with the most precious blood of His Son, our Saviour Jesus.

With His righteousness comes the gift of no condemnation. It is Christ's "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more"

Believe Right and you will Live Right.